Me and the bf are coming back to Korea in Jan 08 and we have been informed that there are new E-2 visa guidelines... they are pretty intense here they are:

Dear Teachers and Schools,

In accordance with new Government immigration regulations and to qualify for a teaching visa in South Korea, it is now necessary to prepare and complete the following (if applying for the E2 visa AFTER Decmber 1st):

- Original diploma notarized at your local Government office (please see Apostile attachments)

- Sealed University transcripts

- 4 Passport Pics

- Photocopy of the picture page of your passport

- Medical report form (please see attachment)

- Police clearance form from your local police station

All applicants must also undergo an interview at the South Korean Embassy of their home country. ( This interview is in person they tell me--pretty funny how the closest to my house is eight hours away)

These additional regulations come into effect as of December 1st, 2007.

"- Original diploma notarized at your local Government office (please see Apostile attachments) "

This one? What is your local Government office? How do you do this?

Can't Korea verify degrees via the US Department of Education and other countries department of educations??? I am sure they are keeping records.

This along with the in person interview at your home Korean consulate means that you can't set a job up while traveling or away from your home region Korean consulate which means you may be camping out at your relatives place for a couple unwanted months in limbo. I was hoping I could set my public school job up while I was still in Korea during the next 2 months and traveling SEA during January and February. I can see I am not going to make it back to Korea on February 24th for orientation even though I am applying for the job now. It appears that EPIK contracts will not be offered, that is mailed to your permanent home address in your home country, until sometime January.

Maybe there will be positions starting later than February 25th, 2008 since many of us will have hang ups or delays.

Has anyone even heard this from a reputable source? I've heard it from supervisors, recruiters, and other teachers. Yet not ONE government official has stepped forward to make this crystal clear.

And as we all know, what we hear from ONE government official can be the complete opposite of what we hear from another.

From what I've been told, there will be a large meeting between the 19th and 22nd that will determine a lot of the new policies. What you're spouting is pure hearsay until I see it from a reputable source.

Again, mods...put up a sticky and address this.

Do these people actually think they have enough staff to handle over 10,000 interviews a year? How can they expect to handle every day business when their schedules will be booked with interviews?

What if your already in Korea and want to renew your E2 visa? Must you go through all of that again or can you no longer just renew it with the same way as before? Also, what if I change employers, do I have to go back to the frickin us for an interview, police report and sealed transcripts?

Me and the bf are coming back to Korea in Jan 08 and we have been informed that there are new E-2 visa guidelines... they are pretty intense here they are:

Dear Teachers and Schools,

In accordance with new Government immigration regulations and to qualify for a teaching visa in South Korea, it is now necessary to prepare and complete the following (if applying for the E2 visa AFTER Decmber 1st):

- Original diploma notarized at your local Government office (please see Apostile attachments)

- Sealed University transcripts

- 4 Passport Pics

- Photocopy of the picture page of your passport

- Medical report form (please see attachment)

- Police clearance form from your local police station

All applicants must also undergo an interview at the South Korean Embassy of their home country. ( This interview is in person they tell me--pretty funny how the closest to my house is eight hours away)

These additional regulations come into effect as of December 1st, 2007.

1) There will be no more VISA runs to Japan. All VISAs must be obtained in the teachers' home countries.
2) VISA will not be renewable in Korea. At the completion of one year, if the teacher decides to stay at their current school, they must return to their home country and obtain their VISA there. ...

I have already handed over what Chachee99 wrote - to the relevant authorites - to have it checked...

at the moment we are still waiting for a response - but so far have been told THIS WILL NEVER BE IMPLEMENTED because it will cause an outroar from UNI's, Hagwons, Private Institutes etc - who seem to have more power here than government officials...

so just wait 1~2 weeks - and we will find out exactly what is the outcome and the NEW laws and I will publish it here...

What if your already in Korea and want to renew your E2 visa? Must you go through all of that again or can you no longer just renew it with the same way as before? Also, what if I change employers, do I have to go back to the frickin us for an interview, police report and sealed transcripts?

Yes to all your questions. Unfortunately so...

OMG, the Korea Herald newspaper printed an article today that clearly states that you must go home to renew an E-2 visa for an interview with your local Korean consulate. It stated how big of a problem this presents for Canadians living on the East coast and having to go all the way to Montreal for an interview and not being guaranteed a job at that point with it being impractical to put forth the financial costs for the trip of uncertainty. There are concerns that these new policies will only drive away good teachers and welcome more illegal tourist visa teachers for a premium wage.

Oh, Apostille is an old French word that means notarization after researching it on Wiki. This is where your CBC is notarized by a notary public person, usually found at a bank for Americans. I don't yet know about, the original diploma notarized at your local Government office thing, I asked about on this thread earlier today.

I saw the article in the Herald today. I thought that I had read it thoroughly. I don't quite remember it saying that those who choose to remain with their current school for another year have to go home to get a new visa.

It was clear that there will be no more trips to Japan for teachers changing schools, and that any new prospective teachers have to do the criminal background check, medical exam, and Korean consulate interview.

Someone correct me if I am wrong about this please, and show me specifics. It is still only an article in a newspaper, and not the definitive rule/law regarding this, so "who knows?"

I guess we will all know soon enough, as something is supposed to happen in December either way. Maybe .

The application process for an E-2 teaching visa will be tightened up in December.
According to a Ministry of Justice press release, foreigners who apply for teaching visas will have to submit a criminal background check and a medical check, and must undergo an interview at the closest Korean consulate to their home town. Visa runs to Japan will also be scrapped. Teachers must now receive and renew visas in their home country. The exact date of implementation has not yet been decided, an official at the Ministry of Justice said. The changed regulations will be implemented sometime in December but we have not yet set an exact date, as the ministry is still in the process of finalizing the details.
Hagwon and other employers of foreign teachers will be informed as soon as the details have been finalized, he told The Korea Herald.
The tightened controls come in the wake of news that a pedophile suspect worked in Korea on several occasions, along with the avalanche of fake-diploma scandals throughout Korean society. The suspect has not yet been convicted, and there is no public link to any offences in Korea.
We have been drawing up the new regulations for some time but the recent case of Christopher Paul Neil could be said to have brought the issue to the surface, said the official.
Drug use and other criminal activities carried out by foreign English teachers have been a social issue for some time, and have built up to dangerous levels in recent years. That is why we are implementing changes now.
The new regulations will only affect foreigners holding E-2 visas, and those seeking an E-2 visa.
We do not plan to strengthen regulations concerning all foreign nationals in Korea, as that would be unnecessary, the ministry official added. We are focusing on teachers because they come in close contact with children, and we have a duty to protect children from unnecessary dangers.
Concern is mounting among current teachers, not about the validity of the new rules, but about the messy implementation, as one teacher described it. They say information from the government has been vague and unclear. Potential teachers are also put off by the uncertainty of the new regulations, which some important government organizations dont even seem to be aware of.
The Korea Herald contacted Government for Foreigners, a Korean government organization which aims to provide comprehensive information on entry regulations. When asked if there were changes to the regulations being planned for December, the help desk clerks answer was a vague probably.
He was unsure of when they would be implemented. How are we supposed to know, he asked the reporter. The clerk then said that he is aware of new regulations, but could not comment on them, saying We will have to wait and see.
There are concerns about the logistics of the consulate interview part of the plan. Its about time they had criminal record checks, and the health check is a good idea, says Tricia Elliot, a teacher at a private institute in Seoul. But this interview at the consulate is a bit overboard because it cuts out a lot of people from smaller areas of large countries.
A lot of the Canadians who work as teachers are from the East coast, and the nearest consulate is in Montreal, she explained. Thats really far away, and impossible for most people to get to on short notice for an interview that doesnt guarantee a job.
English teachers have had trouble finding information about the changes. Many have been told by their local immigration branch that there were no changes, or that the office was unaware of them. This is in spite of a press release which came out last week.
If implemented in December, the move would leave schools struggling to fill vacancies as applicants spend months waiting for police checks and arranging medicals and travel to embassies. It would also discourage hagwon from getting rid of underperforming teachers.
While no one doubts hagwon would boot abusive teachers, those coming in hung over, unprepared and unenthusiastic could be more of a problem. Schools already have a tough time shifting them because their replacement is costly, difficult and time consuming.
Some suspect the extra time and expense of visa application will deter legitimate teachers. I predict a mass exodus of legitimate, qualified, native-speaking ESL Teachers. They will be replaced mostly by highly transient and unskilled backpackers who will work illegally on tourist visas at premium wages, said one teacher, asking not to be named.
Mindful of this, the ministry also intends to increase the severity of punishments for those hagwon employing illegal teachers.
But that teacher remains unconvinced. Youve got to really want to work in Korea to go through all that mess, he says. Those few teachers who are compliant with these new visa regulations will almost certainly be demanding extraordinarily high wages.

By Paul Kerry

([email protected])

2007.11.07

Damn - I emailed Paul kerry many many times - about this issue - he never replied to me - and my emails were always polite...

and like I have been saying - I don't beleive the policy will last long - because it will cause an OUTROAR from companies, schools, Hagwons, Unis etc - and I have already witnessed some school companies handing over large brown paper bags (if you know what I mean) - to some high government officials to make sure this policy does get watered down - or doesn't go into affect....

and...

maybe that is why the "government officials" published it today - because they want more large brown paper bags handed to them before November 12th...

Oh, Apostille is an old French word that means notarization after researching it on Wiki. This is where your CBC is notarized by a notary public person, usually found at a bank for Americans. I don't yet know about, the original diploma notarized at your local Government office thing, I asked about on this thread earlier today.

i was under the impression that an apostille was more than a notary public certification-- that it was certified by the gov't on top of an ordinary notarization.

from the wiki article:

"Obtaining an apostille can be a highly complex process. Getting a birth certificate with apostille in New York, for example, requires applying to three separate offices in succession."

Joined: 22 May 2006Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:15 am Post subject:

KWhitehead wrote:

sojourner1 wrote:

Oh, Apostille is an old French word that means notarization after researching it on Wiki. This is where your CBC is notarized by a notary public person, usually found at a bank for Americans. I don't yet know about, the original diploma notarized at your local Government office thing, I asked about on this thread earlier today.

i was under the impression that an apostille was more than a notary public certification-- that it was certified by the gov't on top of an ordinary notarization.

from the wiki article:

"Obtaining an apostille can be a highly complex process. Getting a birth certificate with apostille in New York, for example, requires applying to three separate offices in succession."